Which Bschool to Choose?

Question

Hi All,

I have been applying to MBA admissions off late and I am able to secure 2 admissions til now.

1) USC Marshall - IBEAR MBA 30% scholarship
2) UW Foster - GEMBA with 15% scholarship

Both are 1 year full time programs in USA.

about my profile :

Qualifications: Bachelors in Electronics engineering.
Work-experience: 10+ Yrs in ERP consulting and ERP product development.
International experience: 3 Yrs in USA - Onsite Coordinator and Project Management.

Interested in - 1 year MBA in US that can propel my career towards higher designations and Management and leadership roles

Post MBA Career aspiration - IT Infrastructure/Strategy Consulting; IT Product Management.

Things work in Favor of USC -
1)Old program with 39 batches already graduated.
2)Proper campus placement infrastructure.

Challenges being at USC -
1)Expensive.
2)Even with Campus placements, students find it difficult to get placed.

Things work in Favor of UW -
1) Higher ranked school
2) Comparatively cheaper even with lesser scholarship

Challenges being at USC -
1)No infrastructures for placements from school. Only networking opportunity

Both schools have stellar alumni network.

I am seeking expert advice that can help me decide which one to go for.

VeritasPrepDozie · Answer

Where do you want to live/work post-MBA? This should influence your decision greatly. Also, if you want to work in tech then the proximity to big feeder companies like Microsoft like Amazon might be attractive for UW.

shounakjoshi · Answer

Thanks for the valuable inputs. Yes I would love Seattle. But i would love Silicon valley too. I think Silicon valley means more opportunities for IT specifically. Would UW give me same access to Silicon valley jobs as USC.

dukehoops99 · Answer

The schools are comparable, my personal choice would be UW.

VeritasPrepDozie · Answer

I think UW potentially could do this for you. One thing I would check out is the geographic placement in the schools career reports. Compare and contrast the schools for another piece of information

bb · Answer

I personally don't think USC gives you much of an access to the Silicon valley. Southern and Norther California are quite different. 
With Foster you would have more exposure to IT simply due to being in Seattle - Amazon is hiring like crazy. There is also FB, Google, and Microsoft. Plenty of IT jobs in large and smaller companies as long as you are able to demonstrate value.

Did you end up making your choice yet?

shounakjoshi · Answer

Not Yet. I am taking all the time I have to make the decision. But with so many inputs pouring in and especially pointing me to UW, I am getting inclined towards it.

The situation has become more intriguing because of follwing :

3) Admit from SMU Cox - Fast Track MBa
4) WL from UoR Simon - 2 year MBA.

Any toughts on these?

bb · Answer

I actually don't know much about Cox, unfortunately so I can't comment. 
Simon, I did have a good friend attend there, and it has a strong background as a Finance school with a lot of the faculty having research/strong finance background. The school has had its unfair share of challenges however, with the financial crisis in 2008 and the impact on jobs of finance track MBA's it has had, the schools rankings have gone down. Also, the bankruptcy of Rochester-based Kodak, has not helped either and the school has gone down from a top 25 spot to about a top 40 in rankings.

I would still vote for Foster based on what I know (Perhaps Cox as I know little about the program though they just made it into the Top 50 BW list last 2 years)

Which Bschool to Choose?

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